Facebook has suspended another 115 accounts for “coordinated inauthentic behavior” as polls open across the country, bringing the total to nearly 2,000 accounts that the social network has removed for spreading misinformation in recent months.
Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook’s head of cybersecurity policy, said in a blog post Monday night the company had been tipped off by U.S. law enforcement authorities about the trolls.
“Almost all the Facebook Pages associated with these accounts appear to be in the French or Russian languages, while the Instagram accounts seem to have mostly been in English — some were focused on celebrities, others political debate,” Gleicher wrote.
Thirty-five of the deleted accounts were on Facebook, while the other 85 came from Instagram, the Facebook-owned picture app. Facebook has opened an investigation into the suspicious accounts and doesn’t know whether they are connected to the Kremlin-backed Internet Research Agency, but said it will update users if that’s the case. IRA was the troll farm that spearheaded Russia’s efforts to manipulate the 2016 presidential election.
Facebook’s announcement comes just weeks after the social network blocked 82 Iranian accounts for sowing political discord on a wide range of topics, from President Trump to immigration to Colin Kaepernick. That was in addition to the 652 Russian and Iranian-tied accounts that were removed in August for spreading fake news in the U.S. and U.K., as well as 810 accounts deleted last month that were sharing “sensational political content.” Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg, soon after the 2016 presidential election, said it was “crazy” to believe fake news helped elect President Trump. He’s changed his tone in the two years since, saying he’s “dead serious” about the issue, while beefing up Facebook’s defense team in the process.
10 Most Shocking Russian Troll Posts on Facebook and Instagram, From Hillary Clinton to Police Brutality (Photos)
The U.S. House Intelligence Committee on Thursday released more than 3,500 advertisements and posts spread by Russian trolls before and after the 2016 U.S. election. Below is a look at 10 of the most shocking examples that stood out from Congress's reveal.
House Intelligence Committee
Many posts pushed the narrative that Hillary Clinton would confiscate guns if she were elected President.
House Intelligence Committee
This graphic meme painted cops as KKK members attacking a young black child.
House Intelligence Committee
Only "sissies" and other undesirables wouldn't support Donald Trump, many of the memes said.
House Intelligence Committee
President Obama was a "pawn" and "traitor" in the hands of "Arabian Sheikhs," said one 2016 ad.
House Intelligence Committee
The "Black Matters US" page touched on hot button issues like police shootings.
House Intelligence Committee
The "Army of Jesus" page shared a bible verse, along with this meme.
House Intelligence Committee
Russian trolls also used Instagram to spread sponsored political memes.
House Intelligence Committee
The "Blacktivist" page routinely shared memes on Colin Kaepernick and other football players kneeling during the national anthem.
House Intelligence Committee
"Heart of Texas" routinely posted on "Killary Rotten Clinton," and threatened to secede from the union if she won the election.
House Intelligence Committee
The "Being Patriotic" page labeled ex-cons as "Obama voters."
House Intelligence Committee
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Congress just released 3,500 posts touching on a myriad of topics
The U.S. House Intelligence Committee on Thursday released more than 3,500 advertisements and posts spread by Russian trolls before and after the 2016 U.S. election. Below is a look at 10 of the most shocking examples that stood out from Congress's reveal.